Production of compressed gas.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WENZL KNAPP, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY.

PRODUCTION OF COMPRESSED GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 669,140, dated. March5, 1901.

Application filed September 7, 1899 Serial No. 729,688. KNO modem.vented certain new and useful Improvements in the Production ofCompressed Gas,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus be which illuminating-gas thatmay be mixed with atmospheric air is pressed by a suitably power into avessel filled with a suitable liquid. The pressure upon the gas isdetermined at pleasure by the height of theliquid column within thevessel. This pressure is to remain always constant during the withdrawalof the gas, and herein is to be found the essence of the invention. Tomaintain this even pressure, an automatic pressureregulator is employedwhich automatically cuts 0% the supply of gas when the desired pressureis reached; but at the moment the pressure is reduced gas is supplieduntil the desired pressure is again reestablished.

The apparatus consists of a vessel divided by a partition into twocompartments, the upper compartment communicating with the lower one bymeans of a tube that reaches nearly to the bottom of the latter. Thelower compartment serves for holding a suitable liquid.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly insection, of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of thesuction and pressure pump.

The apparatus consists of a vessel a and a pump 0, that may be actuatedby a hot-air motor I). The vessel a (shown in cross-section) is dividedby a partition-wall d into two compartments e andf, the upper one ofwhich, e, is connected with the lower by means of a pipe g, extendingdownward from the partition-wall d nearly to the bottom of the lowercompartment f. This latter is filled with glycerin or some othersuitable liquid, which when at rest will attain the same level in thepipe g. Above the level of the liquid in this compartment is situatedthe inlet-pipe h for the admission of the gas, while the outletpipe 2'for drawing oi the gas is at about the same level as h. In the presentcase the gas is drawn out of the pipe 10 and forced into pipe h,havingback-pressure valve 7', by means of the pump 0, which is driven,forexample, by a hot-air motor b.

In consequence of the uninterrupted admission of gas into thecompartment fthe liquid therein is forced to ascend through the pipe 9into the upper compartment 6 of the vessel (1, where it rises inproportion to the increasing volume of gas in compartment f. When theliquid is almost entirely forced out of compartmentf, and thecompartment 6 is therefore almost filled with the liquid, the pump 0 isautomatically stopped by means of a lever m, connected with a ball-floatZ, which lever lifts the suction-valvep from its seat by rod 01, lever0, and a lifting-rod q, connected to thevalve. This arrangement is shownon an enlarged scale in Fig. 20f the accompanying drawings.

The valve-cone is provided with a central cylindrical bore, in which isguided the head r of the lifting-rod g. If the ball Z is lifted by theliquid, the lifting-rod q, and with it the valve-conep, is raised, sothat the valve is held entirely open and the pump 0 runs empty.Consequently the back-pressure valvej within pipe 71, will prevent anyfurther admission of gas to the vessel a. The gas contained in the pumpis alternately pressed back and sucked within feed-pipe it. Thus thepump acts' further, but without being able to press the gas 'into thecompartment f, because the pressure of the gas contained in the latterfirmly holds the valvej upon its seat. At the moment, however, when thevolume of gas has decreased and the float Z again descends the rod q isdrawn down by the raising of rod n, so that the valve 19 again begins toact, and the gas consumed is at once replaced. Thus as soon ascompressed gas has been drawn olf an equal quantity of press-gas isgenerated, so that the pressure imparted remains always the same. Anoverproduction is therefore prevented by the automatically-actingpressure-regulator.

Should the pressure-regulator accidentally fail to act, a furtherautomatic device actuated by the overflowing liquid is provided, whichcloses the suction-pipe of the pump.

' To this end the said suction-pipe is provided other arm supports acarrier 1;, containing a hose as, attached to the overflow-pipe w. Thishose is coiled upon the carrier and passes thence downward into anaccumulator 1 adapted to receive the liquid overflowing from compartment9 of vessel a. This-device acts in such a manner that when the hose isempty the cock 8 is kept open by means of the weight to; but when thehose is full its overweight will turn and close the cock, so that thepump does not draw any more gas or forward it to the compartmentf of thevessel a.

A valve 2, loaded by means of a spring or the like, Fig. 2, may beinserted in the suction-pipe 70 for drawing in air and adapted to beadjusted according to the particular proportions of the mixture desired.

What I claim is 1. An apparatus for producing compressed gas having aconstant pressure, composed of a vessel containing a liquid and dividedinto two compartments, the upper compartment communicating with thelower compartment by a pipe reaching to near the bottom of the latter, apump for forcing the gas into the lower compartment and thereby theliquid into the upper compartment, and a pressureregulator in the uppercompartment which is connected to the pump to automatically cut off thegas when the desired pressure is obtain-ed and readmit the gas when thepressure is reduced, substantially as specified.

2. An apparatus for producing compressed gas, composed of a vesseldivided into two compartments and containinga liquid, a pipe extendingfrom the upper into the lower compartment, a gas-supply pipe enteringthe lower compartment, a gas-pump having a suction-valve, a float in theupper compartment, and means connected to said float for lifting saidvalve when the float is raised, substantially as specified;

3. An apparatus for producing compressed gas, composed of a vesseldivided into two compartments and containing a liquid, a pipe extendingfrom the upper into the lower compartment,agas-supply pipe enteringthelower compartment, a valve in the gas-supply pipe,

a weighted lever connected to the valve-cock,

Witnesses:

RICHARD SLEILBERG, JULIUs POTH.

